You are Unique | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello Hello, It's Michelle here today with a new layout share. I've used one of my most favourite collections Bohemian Dream for this layout and made a feature of the super bright Beautiful Mess paper.

I thought the use of this collection was perfect to document this fun photo of Leila from last week when she was dressed up pretending to be Chuck E Cheese. This kid loves to dress up and is always entertaining us in some way. Thanks to You tube, she knows pretty much any dance or song ever invented HAHA well almost.

To create the background I cut the Beautiful Mess paper to create individual sections, then cut each one down slightly so that when glued to the white cardstock, they would create a grid pattern. I've sewn through all the rectangles for a little added detail, giving it a sort of quilted look.

I adhered the photo to a piece of the Kaleidoscope paper, added some vellum from my stash then raised it off centre over the background papers using some foam sheeting for dimension. 

Next I added my title using the white Chipboard title stickers from the collection. I wanted to ensure this was centred with the photo so that the clusters of embellishments could be wrapped around and under both the photo stack and the title. I fussy cut the large floral piece from a 3x4inch card that can be found on the Boho Bits paper. I also added pieces from the ephemera pack to layer under and over this piece and included a flair button and enamel shapes to compliment the large group of bits.

To balance out the embellishment clusters I've added similar items to the top right corner of the photo, again by layering and tucking under bits using raised dot adhesives. I also added a sticker to the top of the photo that perfectly represents how we feel about this wonderful girl. I absolutely LOVE these florals 

Lastly I added a couple more complimenting pieces of ephemera to the right side of the layout as the visual triangle didn't seem complete. You can also see a close up of the title words and how I've added a little extra detail using a pencil.

Thats all from me today, thanks so much for stopping by.

Until next time, happy Scrapping!
Michelle xx

You & Me | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello Fellow scrappers! I'm back today with a new layout share for Cocoa Vanilla Studio featuring my favourite collection - Bohemian Dream. I can't help but get drawn back to this collection as its colours and patterns are seriously YUM! This layout was quite fun and quick to create, I had an idea in mind and just went with it.

Over the recent school holidays, Leila and I were able to sneak out to the Movies and for a coffee/hot chocolate date.  We weren't able to venture out much as I had to work so we made sure to make the most of this day. To record this Mummy & me date I took a photo while we were having coffee & hot chocolate then made sure to keep hold of the tickets from the movie.



To create the layout, I started with some strips of pattern paper from the 6x6 paper pad and layered them in a grid design with the photo and title cards. Super simple way to maximise the amount of patterns used without over doing it.

I popped the photo onto another pattern paper from the 6x6 pad, added a doily from my stash then raised it off the background paper using some foam tape. I tucked a sticker tab into the layers and created a cluster around the top right corner using Accessory stickers, die cut ephemera, chipboard and enamel shapes.

I added some accessory stickers and enamel shapes to the top right group of strips, plus a splattering of gold color shine

I added another accessory sticker to the strips bottom left, but no enamel shapes as silly me was in a rush and had forgot to HAHA

Lastly, I created a crazy title using multiple different alpha stickers from a couple of different collections and a chipboard & from the chipboard word set within the Bohemian Dream collection. I also added in some ephemera pieces, the ticket stubs, a chipboard heart and some enamel shapes.

Well thats all from me for today, thanks so much for stopping by.

Be sure to check in with us in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Facebook group and share all the amazing creations you make using Cocoa Vanilla Studio goodies.


Until next time, Happy Scrapping
Michelle x

Creative Cards | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi Everyone, I'm back today with a super quick creative share. I'm still taking it easy since my gallbladder surgery last month, and haven't really spent much time in my craft room, so I thought what better way to ease back into it than with a couple of cards. Super simple and quite easy to replicate using pieces from the beautiful Bohemian Dream collection.

The first card I made using some offcuts of the 6x6 Paper pad cut into banner flags, 'strung' along the top of the card and stitched in place.

I used the paint smear stamp from the set in the collection and some yellow ink under the 'shine bright' sticker and layered another sticker above it to create a sweet sentiment for the recipient.

To finish the card I added a leaf from the ephemera pack and some enamel dots for a little extra pop of colour.

Second card was another super simple one but my favourite by far. I used a piece of the beautiful floral print ABUNDANT from the 6x6 paper pad behind some white cardstock, then a strip of GYPSY HEART under the chipboard word HAPPY from the collection.

I added in the word birthday with alphas from the Make a Wish collection as nothing else looked as good. Lastly I tucked in a couple of the leaf pieces from the ephemera pack, some hand writing to finish off the card and some machine stitching to hold it all in place.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, be sure to check in daily for more inspiration from the other Design team members.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!

Michelle x

Thankful for you | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello! I'm back here today with a new layout share for Cocoa Vanilla Studio as part of the fun Thankful theme we have happening this week. I have many things to be thankful for so it was hard to settle on just one for this theme, but for this special topic I've chosen a sweet selfie and scrapped it using the Beautiful Bohemian Dream collection!

This girl right here, which most of you know as the super talented and lovely Raquel Bowman from our Design Team, is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Over 28 years and still going strong, well at least I think so HAHA So many reasons to be thankful for her and the friendship we have, and now the friendship that our little ones have with each other. Wouldn't change a thing!

For the layout itself I knew I wanted to layer up a few different papers with a quote card, some hidden journaling and a few mini clusters of pretty bits. I was considering bringing them together into a grid form, but felt it was too much pattern for my simple and fresh style. So I kept it simple with the layers of papers, photo and quote card with hidden journalling slightly above centre on the layout with a mixed element title below. I added mini clusters diagonally across from each other using similar elements and a smaller cluster with some strips of pattern papers along the bottom edge.

Papers used under the photo are some of my most favourite from the Bohemian Dream collection, such bright happy colours  are the best way to document this precious photo. We don't take many selfies together as they just never seem to look right plus we're usually too focused on the moments lived rather than the photos taken, which is quite funny when we are both avid scrapbookers and life documenters! Papers chosen are the WILD & FREE, FLOWER CHILD, GYPSY HEART, KALEIDOSCOPE, ABUNDANT and BOHO BITS.

Love this quote, and though it was just perfect for this layout. No other words needed, although I did add plenty in some hidden journalling under the card. You can find this quote card on the BOHO BITS paper, and that big thick floral piece is from the chipboard stickers set

Oh so mushy lol I don't tell people enough, how much that I am thankful for them, but hopefully these words will suffice. I added a few ephemera pieces to the inside of the card along with the typed words to add some colour

I created the title using pieces from other collections and a handwritten word. The alpha stickers are from the Totally Rad Collection, I dulled the colour down using some white gesso so they didn't stand out too much. There are so many different forms of alpha stickers to choose from in store, you can find them all HERE with all the other stickers available from all collections. The 'You' is from the Wild at Heart wood veneers pack that I left raw.

Lastly I added a couple of paper strips from offcuts to the bottom of the page along with a label sticker, perfect for adding the date to, some other word stickers, a floral ephemera piece and some enamel dots.

Well thats all from me and my gushy mushiness this week! Thanks so much for stopping by, hopefully my OTT words about my best friend hasn't made you feel too ill LOL

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!

Michelle xx

Unique, WILD & One of a Kind | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello Scrappy Friends! It's Michelle back with a new layout share for November. Todays creation features the fun Bohemian Dream collection that is full of sweet colours and designs, and loads of fun sayings within the stickers and die cut ephemera packs. All that plus a couple of hilarious photos of Leila on Snapchat and we have one perfectly simple layout.

To ensure the photos took centre stage on the layout, I kept the embellishing to a minimum. I don't normally go too crazy with clusters, but for this creation I really scaled it back. I backed the photos with papers from the 6x6 paper pad that complimented the colours within them. I layered them both over a doily from my stash, then onto another 6x6 piece of pattern paper that I cut down to fit underneath. I layered a couple of strips underneath all of this before adding my title and embellishments.

Heres a closer look at all the pretty details..

I cut this butterfly from the Boho Bits cut apart paper and adhered to the layout using some foam tape, then tucked in a vellum floral piece, an ephemera tab and some enamel shapes to complete the cluster. On the top right of the layout I've added another ephemera piece along with a chipboard shape to fill in some of the white space and give balance to the layout.

Snapchat is such a fun app to use, especially for kids. The filters always make us laugh!

These chipboard words are pretty awesome and are perfect for adding colour to with watercolours or inks. I chose a couple items from the pack to create my title with the addition of an ephemera piece and some stickers from the accessory sheet. I also tucked in another vellum floral piece for an extra pop of colours along with some enamel dots.

Lastly I added a strip of the Wild & Free paper along the bottom of the layout then created one final mini cluster using some ephemera and vellum pieces plus a sticker and enamel dots.

Thats all from me today, I hope this super quick layout share has inspired you in some way :)

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle xx

Hilariously You | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello Hello! I'm back today with my newest layout share for Cocoa Vanilla Studio featuring the beautiful Bohemian Dream collection. By far my favourite collection of all time, which I'm sure I've already mentioned it before, but heck I'd shout it from the roof tops if I could HAHA

If you weren't already aware, this collection is FINALLY available In Store NOW! You can find all of the YUMMY goodness right HERE.. Run, don't walk lol

For this layout I just went with the flow of creating, no actual plan in mind other than a gigantic cluster of some description that was full of florals... I chose a hilarious photo of Leila from a few months back when she decided to help her Dad outside with the gardening. Who knew a Tutu was the newest gardening essential? Too funny!

I centred the photo in the top half of the page and worked my clusters around this, along a diagonal line. I've used a piece of Kaleidoscope paper (B side) under the photo along with pieces of the Boho Bits paper in both the 12x12 and 6x6 size to add some extra layers.

To the right of the photo I created a larger cluster with pieces in the ephemera pack. I also added in a couple of enamel dots and shapes, a flair button (one of my favourite sentiments we say to Leila all the time), a bird sticker from the accessory sticker sheet and a sneaky little stamp underneath. I'm not a stamper or a media expert, but I try lol

To give the cluster some dimension and shadowing, I've used a few different types of foam tape and sticky dots to raise and layer them up. I use this technique (if you could call it that) with all the clusters I create on each layout as I find it gives the pages a 3d feel to them, and makes things pop rather than keeping everything flat.

To the left of the layout I've added the next cluster, which is usually the smaller of the 2 large ones. I tend to create a layout with at least 3 groups of embellishments, forming a visual triangle of sorts. This helps draw the eyes attention into the photo without distracting too much.
In the cluster above I've used more floral pieces from the Ephemera pack, a few stickers from the accessory sheet and a sprinkling of enamel dots to finish it off...

Rather than leaving the top corner of the layout bare, I've added a couple of banner/flag pieces and an arrow that I cut down to match. All three pieces can be found in the Ephemera pack.

To create the title I've used some alpha stickers from the Totally Rad collection. To lighten these up I added a coat of white gesso to the tops before adhering to the layout.

Here's a look at the colour difference before and after the gesso was used

I then added the 'you' from the chipboard words set in the Bohemian Dream collection and watercolored the bottom half. I used some of the remaining liquid to splatter around the page, and messed it up in places that was difficult to fix without ripping the paper. Whoops!

Lastly I added a few strips of paper (Boho Bits & Gypsy Heart) to the bottom of the layout, along with more florals, a label sticker with another stamp and a sentiment strip from the Boho Bits paper. The purple strip is from the 6x6 version of the Beautiful Mess paper.

Well thats all from me today. I hope you have enjoyed this new creation and that it has inspired you in some way. Be sure to check out the store and snap up all of this stunning collection before everyone else does!

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle xx

You were born to Shine | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello Scrappy Friends! I'm back here today with a new layout share for Cocoa Vanilla Studio featuring the beautiful new Bohemian Dream collection. By far my favourite collection since Make a Wish and it works perfectly for my style of layouts - clusters, layers and white space. Leila recently had a MASSIVE haircut, so what better way to document it than with this fun collection.

I've been loving banners on my layouts lately, so for this creation I layered a few different sized pieces of pattern papers together and fishtailed the bottoms for a banner effect. I also added a few random strips and torn pieces of paper for some extra textures to the photo stack, then popped it off the page with some foam sheets for dimension.

SO many pretty designs within this one collection. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Especially that floral paper.

FYI - I will list all products used at the bottom of this post, and will update with links once they're available in store 

I also love this sweet sweet face! Oh my Hecking Heck do I love this sweet face! Especially when its cooperative and smiles so sweet!

TO the right of the sweet photo I've created a minster cluster, another favourite technique of mine. I especially like to mix in loads of ephemera pieces, more flowers than anyone ever needs, possibly a cut apart piece or 2, some chipboard, stickers and enamel dots. Layering in and around each other until I think it looks complete.

To balance the layout I usually create some form of visual triangle with extra mini clusters to compliment the main cluster. For this layout I've replicated the floral design , chipboard piece and enamel dots over on the left side of the photo, and created a mini banner cluster top right of the layout.

Here's a list of all the products that I've used for this layout:
12x12 Papers - Abundant, Gypsy Heart, Beautiful Mess, Wild & Free, Flower Child
6x6 Paper pad
Die Cut Ephemera Pack
Vellum Flowers pack
Chipboard stickers
Accessory Stickers
Enamel shapes

Well thats all from me today. I hope this has inspired you in some way.
Be sure to share your creations with us in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community group on Facebook, we love to see what you're all making with the fun products available in store.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Until next time, Happy Scrapping xx

Michelle

One of a Kind | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello Hello! I'm Back today to kickstart a new week of Inspiration for Cocoa Vanilla Studio featuring all things STICKERS. We're talking accessory stickers, chipboard stickers, alpha stickers and even washi tape stickers. I'd even consider the sweet enamel shapes as stickers - they are sticky lol

For my layout share today I've used the amazing new collection Bohemian Dream. If you're a follower of our Facebook page and Community group you would have seen the MOUNTAIN of boxes in a shipment that Zoe has just received. It has arrived! WOO HOO. It may take some time for it to load into the store, so for now you can drool all over the prettiness shared here ;)

This collection is absolutely Stunning, and has absolutely surpassed my obsession for the Make a Wish collection. I'm loving the bright pops of colour, mixed with soft water colours and darker prints. The sweet floral designs are perfectly pretty and those hearts.... so cute! I've chosen the photo of Leila purely for the colour of her shirt that ties in with the colours of the collection.

I've created a grid style layout using a selection of papers from the 6x6 paper pad. I cut 2x2inch squares and arranged them randomly before sewing around or through each individual square.

I backed my photo with another 6x6 pattern paper, the 6x6 version of the Abstract paper that I'd cut into 2 triangles for a different project but didn't use. I layered the photo into the corners of the paper and cropped the excess off. I also layered a cut apart piece behind and an accessory sticker before raising it up with some foam for dimension.

Now I'm not sure about everyone else, but I consider my Accessory sticker sheets an extension to my die cut ephemera packs. They're perfect for layering in clusters and adding a finishing tough to empty spaces, and sometimes even being used for Title work. So many sweet sentiments and those chipboard stickers give some great dimension to a page!

With all this in mind my next task was to create a large cluster with as many stickers as I could, without over doing it. I used the "One of a Kind" piece from the sticker sheet as my title for the layout, and raised it with some foam tape to make it stand out more. Tucked in under and around this are more accessory stickers, a large floral chipboard sticker, a couple of chipboard sticker hearts, enamel dots and some ephemera pieces.

Once I was comfortable with the main cluster, I worked on all the mini clusters using more Accessory stickers and enamel dots. I selected random squares to fill within a visual triangle to create an even flow of embellishments in an already busy background. I also added in a few ephemera pieces to compliment the added colours and stickers.

All of the little word stickers and strips are perfect for documenting a 'just because' layout of Leila, with each one singing out sweet little sentiments I want her to remember in years to come.

Thats all from me today. I hope this has given you some inspiration to go crazy with stickers! I know it has for me :)

Until Next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle

Fine & Dandy | Scrap the Girls

Hello Hello! September already = its time for a new challenge with Scrap The Girls. This month is a cool sketch that challenged me to get a little messy! I've used the STUNNING new collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Bohemian Dream, which is not in store as yet, but a sneaky little birdie dropped me off a package while they were visiting for Paperific and I couldn't wait to dig in to it all!

LOVE LOVE LOVE the colours within this collection, and all the pretty designs! The perfect collection for scrapping photos of Leila. 

Heres a look at the sketch designed by DT member Sue

I got a little messy on the background with some coloured paint and scrunched paper towel, plus an extra added sprinkling of colour with some Kaiser Mists. I even drew some mini hearts with a black pen

Heres some close ups of all the sweet details

Thanks so much for stopping by. Ive left this super short today, but I aim to pop back in and leave links to all the items once the collection goes live in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio store. 

Until then, apologies for all the creative spam ;)

Happy Scrapping

Michelle x